Escaping the Lion's Pit
by weaselsdontfly
Summary: Lillian escapes an abusive relationship with the help of an innocent passerby: Jayne. She joins Serenity as a cook, but nothing is ever that easy for the crew of Serenity.
1. First Impressions

_Author's note: This is my first attempt at Firefly fanfiction. I've written a couple one-shots but I was always afraid that I wasn't getting their voices right. I think I've gotten better at it, and I really hope they seem true to character. I'd love some constructive criticism if you think it needs improvement. The rating may change later, I'm still in the process of writing this and I don't know for sure where it's headed.  
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**Disclaimer: Firefly and Serenity do not belong to me and never will. Any recognizable characters do not belong to me.**

First Impressions

The first time he saw her, she was on a small stage, singing her heart out. The banjos and guitars were going crazy, the man playing bass stomping his foot wildly along with the beat. She was just pouring her soul into it as she sang.

He sat in the corner, a seat that allowed him to see everyone else in the room and all the exits. He was looking for some trim, but he had time to waste. It wouldn't hurt to watch her just a while longer.

Jayne was not a smart man. He'd had no formal education. There was no school on Whittier, so he didn't even need to skip classes. He learned all he knew from his ma, and she'd learned it from his pa. His childhood memories all featured her. Crouching in tree limbs, waiting for animals to pass by them for an easy kill. Setting traps. Learning how to shoot, how to aim, how to take care of his guns and respect them. The most important thing she'd ever taught him was how to watch people. "Because they do need watching," she'd said once. "They can be up to all sorts of trouble without your knowin', so you have to learn to read them."

"Be a Reader?" Young Jayne had asked incredulously. Readers were creepifying. He wanted nothing to do with them.

"Better'n a Reader." She'd replied. "You don't need to know no one's thoughts, you just need to know their body. Every little thing they're up to can be seen in their body."

He'd left when he was sixteen. He was going to sneak out at night so there wouldn't be any fuss, but she'd read the signs in his body language as soon as he started making plans. She knew there was a ship in town that was looking for hard working crew. She knew he hated Whittier, hated the mines, hated the way the local boys would douse a rag in foul liquid and sneak up behind girls, covering their faces and knocking them out before they knew what was what. Hated that it had happened to his own sister, that Matty got sick from what she'd breathed in. Hell, his mother hated it, too. She hated seeing her little girl who'd once been so strong and proud all hunched over as she wheezed and coughed so long that she couldn't get any air in at all, until she started dry heaving. She knew he had to leave.

She was waiting for him, sitting by the front door. She handed him his pa's rifle, told him to keep himself alive, gave him a brisk hug with a strong pat on the back with her calloused hands, and watched him walk out the door.

She never did know his plans. She was surprised at the first letter home. Surprised he'd even written, let alone included some of his pay. It was then that she realized that this pay wasn't for food or warm clothes, because he knew she could earn just enough to cover that. The money was for hiding, for keeping until there was enough to get them all off that gorram planet and onto a nicer one, to pay for their passage and the supplies they would need for starting over.

Jayne shook himself out of his reverie. No good zoning out like that when you had just settled into a place. You needed to get your bearings first. About half the tables in the place were occupied with men who'd recently gotten out of work and were drinking the stress away. There was a woman waiting by the stairs, looking for a likely partner for the night. She noticed Jayne's look and gave him a wink. Maybe later. What really caught his attention was the man sitting at the table right next to the stage. He never took his eyes off the singer, lifting his mug to his mouth and drinking without ever moving his gaze. His body was tense, his knuckles turning white from his grip on the mug. That was one angry sonofabitch.

Jayne finished his drinking, even went upstairs with the woman who was waiting. Got some thrusts in and got rid of some of the tension that being around gorgeous women on a small ship instilled in him. He would never use them. Never ever hurt them. Just thinking on it made him hear Matty's wracking cough, reminded him of long nights of wheezing and coughing and dry heaving, the dark rings under her eyes, the tight lines already forming in her face. She was too young for it. Too young.

Inara was one gorgeous woman, Kaylee was all sorts of adorable wrapped up in a beautiful package, and Zoe was filled out in all the places that really got a man's attention. Even River got to him sometimes, her lithe body practicing ballet with an invisible partner in the cargo bay at night, her leaps and twists and turns. The tears running down her face. She danced when she thought no one would see, and he always wondered if she could read him up there, leaning against the railing and wishing she wasn't so much like Matty, or if she was so desperate to dance and feel like a real girl that she was actually able to stop reading for a while.

He walked slowly out of the building that night, adjusting his belt with a little swagger just to show every man in the room that he'd gotten some and it was damn good. He'd made her scream. Maybe it was the memory of Matty and his ma that made him take care of a woman, even a working woman. They might not really want him, might just need his money, but he was going to make damn sure they weren't doing it for nothing. He respected women. He never raised a fist to one unless they attacked him first, and even then, the attack had to be more then just a slap or punch. It had to involve a butcher's knife. It had to seriously hurt him, because he sure as hell couldn't feel most women's hands when they were trying to beat on him.

He heard a muffled cry from around the side of the building and his body immediately lost its looseness. He was a merc again, not just a man. He walked calmly so that if anyone were watching him they wouldn't notice the change. He casually turned the corner, walking until he saw shadows. He slowed, moving carefully, quietly. Even Zoe couldn't hear him coming when he was like this. He usually made a point of stomping along Serenity's walkways so he wouldn't startle anyone. The couple finally came into view, and it wasn't quite what he expected.

The angry man from the bar had a young boy in his arms. The boy was barely a toddler, and the man had him in a death grip, a blade to his throat. The woman who'd been singing was standing stock still. Her right eye was already bruising, her arm was red from where he'd grabbed her and dragged her along, and her nose was dripping blood onto her shirt, but she was standing so still that Jayne could hardly see her breathing.

"Now, Lillian, did you really think you could just waltz out and board a ship without me finding you?"

The man's voice was calm but icy. Jayne hated it when people spoke like that. Give him some regular old angry shouting anytime, but this coolness was just creepifying. The woman never looked away from the man's eyes, not even to look at the crying boy.

"I wasn't going anywhere." She spoke quietly but firmly. There was no tremble to her voice.

"I saw you looking at him. I _saw_ you. You were making plans again, weren't you? Trying to run away with another lover? You just never learn, do you? You never learn." He laughed, and the sound sent shivers down Jayne's spine. "You're mine. You always have been and you always will be."

Jayne saw her starting to react. He expected tears, for her shoulders to slump as she wept and gave in. Instead, he watched her jaw tighten, her hands clench into fists.

"Let him go." She said slowly, murder in her voice. "You let him go and you can do what you want with me for as long as you want. But he's got nothing to do with this."

"He's got everything to do with this!" The man's cool was breaking. "He's not even mine, is he?"

"Of course he isn't." She gave a humorless laugh. "I was pregnant when I met you, you idiot. How could he be yours?"

The man tossed the boy to the ground and started toward her with the knife. It was the only opening Jayne needed. A chair leg, long separated from the chair, was scooped up from the ground, and before the man had taken two steps, Jayne had laid him out.

The woman was shocked. She hadn't even noticed him, hadn't realized there was another player in the game. The crying of her little boy broke her out of it, and she hurried over and scooped him up, cradling him to her chest.

"It's alright, Ben. It's okay, it's over." She soothed him, but Jayne could see that she was really trying to soothe herself, trying to convince herself that it was over and they were both alive.

"The kid alright?" He asked gruffly, dropping the chair leg and giving the fallen man a kick in the ribs for good measure.

She nodded. "He's fine. I owe you, sir."

"Jayne. My name's Jayne. And I ain't no sir."

"Jayne." She didn't make the usual comments about it being a girl's name. She just nodded. "I'm Lillian, and this here's Ben. I owe you both of our lives."

"Nah, don't start that. Just happened to be around. Wasn't like it was any trouble."

"Well, I sure as hell won't forget it." She held the little boy to her hip. Ben was sucking his thumb as he watched Jayne with big eyes. Jayne decided to ignore this statement.

"You got someplace safe to be? He gonna bother you again?"

"Oh, he won't stop bothering me until one of us is dead. I've got no place to be. I lived with him. He never let me leave."

Jayne's brow furrowed. "You ain't got no friends to stay with or nothing?" She just shook her head. "_Chou ma niao_." Jayne swore, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I don't know what to do with you, girl."

She frowned, brushing a lock of auburn hair out of her eyes to give him the full effect of her glare. "You ain't doing nothing with me or my boy. I-"

"_Bizui_! I didn't mean-I meant for makin' sure you're safe, you _feng le po fu_."

The intensity of her glare lessened. "I don't need you to keep me safe."

He grunted, "Yeah, because you're doin' a hell of a job of doin' it by yourself. You're the one got stuck livin' with that _nin hen bu ti tie de nan sheng_." He paused, seeing that insulting her was getting him nowhere. "Think of your boy." He said in a low voice, ashamed to have to show his concern. "Gotta raise him...gotta raise him so he knows how to treat a woman, and that," He gestured angrily toward the unconscious body on the ground, "ain't no way to treat a woman. Ain't no way to raise a boy, he'll...he'll turn out all wrong, and that ain't no way to live."

She stared at him, speechless. Part of her was incredibly insulted that he was telling her how to raise her own son, but...well, part of her realized he was right. And she had nowhere to go. He'd find her no matter where she hid on this gorram planet. It was hard to pull the words from her throat, but she finally managed to say, "I need to get off world. He'll find me here, and he'll...well someone's gonna end up dead if he finds me and I don't want my boy seein' that, no matter which of us it is."

Jayne nodded, thinking. He was not a smart man. He had no formal education, and he knew exactly what people thought of him because of that. But he wasn't an idiot. He was educated in his own way. His mother's way. He was educated in the wilderness on how to live in the wilderness, and he was educated in town so he could live around people, no matter how much they might want him dead. This woman was sincere. She needed to get off world. And her little boy was scared, couldn't stop staring at the body on the ground. Couldn't stop touching the bruises on his mother's skin. Weren't no way to be raised, fearing for his mother's sake, and she clearly didn't want that to be the case. She'd made a mistake. It happens.

"You cook?" He suddenly asked. She stared at him for a second, not comprehending how this could possibly relate to the situation.

"Yeah. Usually cook at the bar."

"Know how to work with protein?"

"You kiddin'? It's all we got at the bar."

"Well. The captain of the ship I'm on has always been mumblin' 'bout wantin' a good cook. None of us can do it quite proper like. It always tastes just like protein. Don't know how he'll feel 'bout this, 'specially with your kid, but...aw, hell, it's worth a shot."

She stared at the brick wall over his shoulder as she thought, her hand absently stroking her child's hair. "Ain't never been in the black." She said it so quietly Jayne wasn't sure he heard her right. Before he could ask, she straightened her shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Give me some time to go back to the bar, grab some of my flavorings and what little real food they got stored there, get myself packed up, and we'll see what your captain says."

* * *

><p>Chinese translations:<p>

Chou ma niao : Stinking horse urine

Bizui! : Shut up

Feng le po fu : Insane harridan


	2. Boarding Serenity

Boarding Serenity

Jayne found himself waiting in a different bar, making it look like he was drinking as much as the others, but barely letting the liquor wet his lips when he raised his cup. He had a feeling he needed to be sober for this. She might need more help, and it was hard enough getting Mal to listen to him when he was sober, let alone when he reeked of cheap beer and cheaper perfume. Something told him to help this woman, and he wasn't quite sure why. Sure wasn't the prettiest woman he'd ever seen. Brownish red hair waving down to her shoulders, not straight but not yet curly, just there. Sort of a long nose. A scared look in her eyes from spending too much time with that man. But they were one hell of a shade of green. Really captured you when you happened to look at them. And he couldn't forget how she sang her heart out in the bar, not caring about the tips dropped into the jar that was set out, only caring about the song. Her emotions had pulled the other musicians into playing just as strongly, making men who just played for a few extra credits really care about what they were playing.

Her boy, Ben, was a cute little thing, too. Probably be a heart breaker when he grew up. Jayne couldn't help but feel relief that the unconscious asshole wasn't his father. None of that man would be in this boy. He had his mother's eyes, browner hair then her auburn locks, and with more of a curl to it. Big eyes, hadn't gotten his mother's nose. Cute little thing, Jayne admitted to himself. Reminded him of Matty when she was just a baby. Cute. Helpless. Something lovable about 'em, even though part of him wanted to run screaming from the idea of a child.

When the clock struck midnight he headed out the door again, down several streets and into a new alley. She was waiting, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, her boy on her hip, and a full bag of what looked like some food and kitchen supplies in her free hand.

"You think he'll take me?" She was trying to seem nonchalant as they walked down the road together, but he could see her fear in every movement of her body. She glanced at him. "The captain. Do you think he'll take me on? I mean, being a stranger and in the middle of the night like this?"

Jayne considered. "Don't rightly know. He might not. But he's kind of...what's the word...shiv...shove...shovelrous..."

She smiled. "Chivalrous?"

"Yeah. He's kind of chivalrous. Protecting the needy, women and children, you know. That sorta thing. He don't like to show it, though. You should..." Jayne wondered if he had ever felt this awkward in his life. Probably when he woke up in the airlock after Ariel. "Just...make sure he sees, you know? I mean, your bruises and stuff. And...well, your boy has a nick on his neck from that knife. I guess..." He trailed off as he felt her glare. "Listen, I know you're...well, you're a right strong woman who just ended up in a bad situation, and you don't want to seem weak to nobody after this, but if he knows what happened he'll be far more likely to, well, take you on. He might feel like he needs to. The...the shovel thing."

She just nodded, and they finished the walk in silence. When they reached the docks, he pointed, saying with a little pride, "That's her. That's Serenity. She's a good ship. Best one I've been on. And, uh, you know, it's the crew that makes her that way. They're good people." He finished gruffly, wondering why the hell he'd opened up like that. If God were to strike him down, right that second, he didn't think he'd mind too much.

As luck would have it, Mal was the one on watch. Jayne knocked on the door, and stepped to the side as the ramp lowered. Mal was leaning back in the chair Kaylee left in the bay, his feet propped up on a crate.

"You're back early," He started to say, then realized that Jayne wasn't alone. He saw a beaten woman, and a child that didn't look entirely dissimilar to Jayne. His voice was suddenly completely serious. "What is this?"

Jayne shuffled his feet, then stopped, wondering if he'd ever shuffled his feet before in his life. Weird. He glanced toward Lillian desperately, not knowing what to say now that it was happening. Lillian stepped forward.

"It ain't what it looks like, sir." There was pride in her voice, a steeliness that let Mal know that if Jayne were the one who'd raised a hand to her she would certainly not be in his company. "This man here, he, uh. Well, he stopped the man I was with from killing my boy and me. He wanted to be certain I'd be somewhere safe, and, well..." Lillian hated that she had to admit to her stupidity. "I ain't got nowhere to go that he, the other man, won't find me. Ain't nowhere on the planet I could go." She finally ran out of words, staring at her feet, comforted slightly by her little boy stroking her face with his tiny hand.

"'M Ben." The boy suddenly said, looking Mal straight in the eyes. Mal couldn't stop the smile that curved his lips.

"You're Ben?" The boy nodded seriously. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Jayne gave Mal a weird look, but the boy talked readily enough. "Jake had a...had a knife. Got cut right here." Ben tilted his head way back, farther then he had to, and pointed to the nick the knife had left when the man started getting emotional.

Mal nodded. Any doubt he had might as well have been eliminated entirely by the boy's words. But that didn't mean all of his questions had been answered. "I understand, ma'am. What I don't understand is why you're here."

"Jayne here told me that you've talked about hiring a cook." She noticed the sharp look the captain sent Jayne and quickly continued, "He made sure I realized it wasn't a sure deal, but I thought I'd take a chance and find out if it were true. I'm a decent cook, sir, worked in a bar that mostly only had protein. I know how to use flavorings pretty decent, make something taste real if there ain't no real food. And I don't want you to get the wrong impression from what happened to me. I ain't a wilting lily, sir. I've got plenty experience with guns and shooting them. Used to go hunting all the time with my pa. I can do all sorts a' chores around the ship, whatever needs doin'. I knit, too. I sell what I make for a pretty decent price around here, I'm sure I could sell what I make on other planets, too. And I can make plenty of things for the crew if y'all need socks or scarves or hats or sweaters-"

Mal cut her off as she started to get more desperate. "You really got nowhere else to be." It wasn't really a question as much as a statement. He sighed. "I don't know a ship is a place to raise a kid-"

"Bullshit, sir."

Mal spun around as his first mate, Zoe, stalked up from behind him. She'd woken up feeling antsy. She was halfway through the process of reaching over to wake up Wash and make him talk to her when her hand hit the empty side of the bed and she suddenly remembered that, oh right, there was no Wash. She hadn't been able to stay in her bunk after that, and started prowling the ship instead. She had just finished making coffee and was bringing a cup to Mal down in the cargo bay when she saw him lower the ramp. She'd listened silently, watching the woman's arm tighten around her son like he was the only thing keeping her together. Zoe had always wanted a baby. They would have had such beautiful children.

"Zoe-"

"You know I was raised on a ship and don't you even think of insinuating that I didn't turn out just fine, sir. It ain't gonna hurt us none to take her on, and she even sounds like she'd be a fair shot at watching the ship when we're out on jobs."

"Kaylee-"

"You know Kaylee can't shoot at someone even when her life depends on it, sir." Zoe hadn't felt so much emotion that wasn't regret and depression in a long time. "She looks like she can hold her own. She tells it like she can cook, and you know that was one of the things you wanted most when you first got Serenity. A good mechanic, pilot, and maybe even a cook. Right? She'll earn her keep, and she'll even save us some cash money on winter stuff." Zoe turned, holding her head with both hands as she tried to calm down. "She has a kid, Mal." He blinked, startled at her use of his name instead of the usual 'sir'. "If Wash...if I'd had..."

Mal set a hand on her shoulder, watching her fight back the tears before they could even start. These days she was always a warrior, never a woman. He turned back to Jayne and Lillian. Jayne looked distinctly uncomfortable. Lillian was soothing her son.

"Alright." He finally conceded. Lillian looked up, shock written all over her face. Jayne's face wasn't much different. "We'll at least take you with us on our next job. If it don't work out, we'll drop you off at the next decent planet. Either way, you're well away from that _ben tian sheng de yi dui rou_." He turned to Zoe, wishing he could undo everything, bring Wash and Book back from the dead. But you never can. It never goes back. "Jayne, find some bedding and such for one of the passenger rooms. Zoe, give her a quick tour so she can find her way around. We'll deal with telling everyone at breakfast." He turned to his new crew member. "You...what's your name?"

She smiled. "Lillian, sir."

"Lillian. Breakfast is served at 8:00 AM. You don't need to make it tomorrow. It's Kaylee's turn, and it'd be too much fuss to wake her up and tell her the whole story right now. Just show up on time with an appetite." He tried to look like the mean old man he was sure he was, and closed up the ramp before slumping back into his chair. He looked at the people still watching him. "Well? Get to it."

* * *

><p>Chinese translations:<p>

_Ben tian sheng de yi dui rou_ : stupid inbred stack of meat


	3. Taking Off

_Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews! It's reassuring to hear that Lillian doesn't come off as a Mary Sue, I'm trying very hard to make her seem like a normal person._

Take Off

Lillian awoke slowly, enjoying the feeling of Ben curled up against her stomach. Such a handsome boy, she thought with a smile, brushing some curls out of his face. His life would be better, she would make sure of it. If anyone on the ship was like Jake, she'd keep Ben locked in the room where it was safe until they got planetside, then leave immediately. Things wouldn't go the same way.

She wasn't sure how they had ever gone that way in the first place. Jake had been nice to start with. And as she'd told the captain, she was hardly a wilting flower. She even stood up to Jake when he acted like that. It was just...she got stuck. He always found a reason that she had to stay, and he had enough influence in that town to make sure that she really did. It had just changed slowly and...snuck up on her. She felt like an idiot. How could she endanger her child like that?

As if on cue, Ben snuffled and shoved his head into her ribs. Even though it made her wince, she couldn't help but smile at how adorable he was. If only he could stay that way. Never grow up and have to learn about life. Just stay innocent forever.

A knock on the door made her jump. She eased herself around Ben and checked herself for decency. A massive shirt over loose drawstring pants. She was about as covered as she could get. She slid open the door, and smiled as she saw Jayne on the other end.

"Uh." He cleared his throat, and spoke gruffly. "Mal said I should fetch you for breakfast, since you don't know nobody else."

"Oh. Give me a sec, I'll get dressed and wake up Ben."

He just nodded and leaned against the opposite wall as she slid the door shut again. She got herself fully dressed and pulled out a shirt and overalls for Ben before she could make herself wake him up. He was just so adorable when he slept. Well, she thought, he was adorable all the time. It was a constant state. She shook him gently, and felt her heart break as he shoved himself away from her hand and crouched against the wall.

"It's me, bao-bei," she said gently, trying not to cry at the fear in his eyes.

"Momma."

"Yeah, it's momma. It's time to wake up, honey."

He let her dress him and fuss over him for a few seconds, and by the time she opened the door again they had both calmed down.

Not for this first time she found herself looking up at the big man waiting for her and wondering why she was trusting him so much. There was little doubt in her mind that he was a hired gun, or some other fancy name for the same job. He had seemed embarrassed the night before when he'd talked about how good the crew was, like he used to be just another _hun dan_ but these people were changing him and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

He gave her a polite nod, and a little twitch of the lips that was almost a smile.

"How's the kid holdin' up?"

"He's alright. A little jumpy, but I think he'll settle down with some time."

Jayne nodded. "A knife to the throat will do that."

Ben looked up when he realized they were talking about them. "'M Ben."

Jayne couldn't help but grin. "I met you last night. My name's Jayne." He held out a large hand for the toddler to shake. Ben could only wrap his hand around two of Jayne's fingers, but he shook them solemnly all the same. Lillian smiled at the sight. Ben was could be very serious at times, not altogether surprising given the man he was raised around.

As they walked Lillian realized that the handshake seemed to have confirmed a friendship in Ben's mind, because he constantly twisted around to watch Jayne and would readily smile at him when the big man looked over. She was glad to see that Jayne had no compunctions about smiling back.

"Alright, it's just through here." Jayne said, nodding toward a doorway they were approaching. "Mal's been telling everyone the basics so they won't be surprised or nothin'."

Lillian suddenly grew nervous. It was not a good first impression to show everyone that she was stupid enough to get caught with a man like Jake, and not only that, had endangered her son's life. She took a deep breath.

Jayne glanced over. "Don't worry none. They'll like you just fine. We set out an extra chair for you and everythin'. The women folk are gonna fuss over your boy like nobody's business, too."

She smiled at him. It wasn't the most eloquent speech, but it was a reassuring one nonetheless. Reaching out, she squeezed his hand. "Thank you. For all of this."

He muttered something that sounded like "Weren't no problem." It almost looked like he was blushing, but before she could make sure he started leading the way through the final stretch to the dining room. Lillian gave Ben a gentle squeeze, more to reassure herself then to reassure him, and followed him in.

Everyone was seated at the table, and all eyes fell on her as soon as she stepped through the doorway. Lillian could feel nerves overtaking her as she took in the six seated people. Jayne glanced between her and the crew and decided to break the silence. "Well, this here's Lillian and little Ben."

She managed a weak smile. Mal took over as Jayne found his seat. "You know me and Zoe here," Lillian nodded at the woman who had secured the job for her and received a nod back. "This is Inara, our Companion-"

"Former Companion," Inara broke in gently, her voice soft and comforting. Lillian couldn't help but stare a little at the gorgeous woman eating protein with the rest of the crew. How did a woman like that end up out in the Black with a less then legal crew like this?

Mal had a small smile on his face, which only got bigger as Inara gently took his hand in hers. "Next to her is Kaylee, our mechanic."

"Nice to meet'cha! Hope you don't mind the protein none, I didn't know we finally got a real cook onboard."

Lillian couldn't help but smile back at the bubbly woman. "Oh, that ain't a problem at all. I'm more then used to eating what I can get."

Mal continued on down the table. "Next to her is Simon, our doctor." And straight out of the core Lillian realized as they exchanged polite hellos. "And his sister, River, our pilot." The girl, who looked like she was perhaps just barely eighteen, looked up with large brown eyes that seemed to see straight through the people around her. Lillian felt an uncomfortable prickling in her mind as the girl's gaze landed on her, but it stopped almost as quickly as it began.

"Escaped from the lion's pit, but the lion knows the scent." The girl shook her head as if clearing her thoughts. "She is sorry. Her thoughts get away from her sometimes."

Lillian gave a hesitant smile. "Happens to the best of us."

Mal glanced at the girl, but River only smiled back at him. He nodded slowly, glancing up at his new cook thoughtfully. Lillian felt as if a silent conversation had just taken place, but before she could dwell on it any longer the captain continued. "And you know Jayne. Thinkin' of which, how'd you two meet?"

Jayne patted the empty seat next to him, and Lillian sat down gratefully, setting Ben on her lap.

"She was singin' at the bar I went to," Jayne explained, spooning protein onto his plate. "Heard some fightin' in the alley when I was leavin' and thought I'd better check it out."

Mal raised a doubtful eyebrow. "You just thought you'd go ahead and do your good deed of the day? Is that it?"

The merc glanced up at the captain, looking like he felt the answer was obvious. "I heard her cry out. I wanted to make sure nothin' untoward was happenin'. Found her already a little beat up and that man had a knife to the kid's throat."

Lillian cut in, seeing that the captain didn't entirely trust his hired gun. "He must've heard me when Jake pulled Ben away from me. I did make a bit of noise." She fiddled with her fork. She was getting the distinct impression that there was something between the captain and Jayne that kept Mal from trusting him. It made her wonder if she should be worried, but he'd been nothing but polite to her so far. She sent him a glance as he started shoving large forkfuls into his mouth and decided she would just wait and see. Best not to worry over nothing. Lillian suddenly realized River was staring at her. She slowly looked up. The girl made eye contact and then gave her a nod of approval. Lillian blinked. Well that was just downright creepifying. Well. She would just wait and see with the girl, too.

Turning her attention to the food, she realized there was an extra plate for Ben next to hers. She smiled and dished some protein that sort of looked like scrambled eggs onto both of their plates. Jayne passed her a plate of toast next, and slid over some artificial butter.

"Sorry there ain't a chair for Ben," Kaylee finally broke the silence. "We just plain ran out of chairs that would fit."

Lillian laughed. "Oh that's fine. Ben here doesn't mind, do you?"

Ben shook his head solemnly. He took a mouthful of food and mumbled around it, "Thanksh for th' food."

Kaylee seemed downright delighted by this. "Well it weren't no problem!"

The rest of the meal passed with small bursts of small talk. Everyone was too tired to talk as much as they did at later meals, and Lillian was still too unsure of her place on the ship to want to venture into the many questions she had. Ben seemed pretty happy though, she noted with a smile. He was constantly looking up and smiling at all the new faces.

As everyone finished eating, Kaylee gathered the dirty dishes and started washing them. The others drifted in their own directions, but Inara waited by the table.

"Lillian, if you didn't have any other plans, I'd be more then happy to give you a tour of the ship."

"Oh! Sure, that would be nice. I can just see myself getting lost around here."

Inara smiled. "Don't worry, it's not nearly as large as it seems at first."

She started by leading her to the bridge, where River was already settling into the pilot's chair. She was checking the Cortex in the little display beside her. Lillian thought she caught a glimpse of search warrants before the screen flashed to something different. She shrugged it off. Must have been something in the news.

River turned and gave her a small smile. "Want to watch us take off?"

"I'd love to." Lillian said, in complete honesty. "I've never been in the Black before."

"Me neither." Ben added from his position on Lillian's hip. He had a handful of her hair and a thumb in his mouth.

River beamed at him before turning to the controls. She flipped on the radio, saying, "Ground Control, this is Firefly Serenity in slot 7, requesting permission for takeoff."

"Firefly Serenity, this is Ground Control, permission for takeoff is granted."

The young woman reached up, flipped three switches, adjusted a plastic dinosaur standing on one of the instrument panels, and finally took the controls. Lillian had braced herself against the wall, expecting to be lurched around a bit, but River had such a smooth control of the ship that she barely felt anything at all. Lillian's jaw dropped as they got higher into the sky, finally passing through the atmosphere. Ben leaned forward in her arms, staring intently out the window with big eyes.

The Black. She had heard tales of its beauty, and some tales of how horrifying it was to see, but none of them did it justice. It was gorgeous beyond words, and yet part of her mind was assaulted by the fact that she was just a speck in this universe. For some odd reason, she found that calming.

River glanced over her shoulder at them, smiling at Inara who was watching with amusement. They were used to this life, and it was always interesting to watch someone new to it. Everyone reacted differently. Ben had a grin on his face as his eyes flicked across the stars.

"I wanna be a pilot." He announced with a decisive nod.

"That so?" Lillian turned to the voice behind her, and quickly took a step over to allow the first mate room to enter.

"Yes." The little boy answered, looking up into her face. His hand clenched around a lock of Lillian's hair, but he seemed otherwise unafraid of the tall intimidating woman.

Zoe tilted her head as she looked at him, then glanced to River. River nodded, with a small secret smile. Zoe leaned over, grabbing a stegosaurus from the collection of dinosaur toys strewn about the controls.

"Well. This guy here used to belong to a very good pilot. You know what kind of dinosaur he is?"

"Stega…steg…stegaurus."

"That's right, a stegosauarus. His name is Steve. He's a good guy, but he sometimes needs someone to watch his back. You up for the job?" Ben nodded solemnly. Zoe finally cracked a small smile. "Maybe if you do that he'll teach you some secrets on how to fly."

Ben gently took the toy from her hands, and cradled it to his chest. "Thanks!" He looked on it with reverence, stroking it gently. "Was he a really good pilot?" Ben asked suddenly.

Zoe smiled at him. "The best. I'll tell you about him sometime."

Ben nodded, an uncontrollable grin on his face as he studied his new toy. Lillian caught Zoe's eyes, watching her intently for several seconds. She had caught the woman's words the previous night that had finally convinced the captain to take her on. Lillian gave her a small smile and a nod, and received the same in turn before the first mate left the bridge.

* * *

><p>Chinese translations:<p>

_Hun dan_ : Bastard

Author's Note: Sorry if the part where River asks for permission for takeoff seems unrealistic. I totally guessed on how that would go.


End file.
